Ask a member: What’s the ultimate in-flight playlist?

Music has a remarkable way of shaping a journey, whether it’s building excitement before an adventure, helping you relax into your seat or creating a sense of escape as the runway rushes by. To celebrate the songs that make travel memorable, we asked Members of The British Airways Club to share their ultimate take-off tracks. The result is a playlist packed with feel-good favourites, mood-setters and timeless classics to accompany every departure.

1. Radiohead’s ‘Everything in Its Right Place’ aligns with my hope that I will have been organised enough that, by take-off, all the arrangements for what I leave behind, as well as for where I’m going, will have found balance. The emotional yet very techno vibe of the track seems to suit flying.
Layo Paskin, DJ and restaurateur

2. It doesn’t matter how many times I fly, it still feels somehow unbelievable to me that this great big plane can suddenly take off from the ground and be suspended in the air. To add to the drama and epicness of the moment, I love a bit of Hans Zimmer. The Interstellar soundtrack is always a winner.
Jonathan W

3. I naturally lean towards music that’s calm and cinematic. Artists such as U2, Olivia Dean, Benson Boone and Tom Odell are often on my playlist because their music creates space to think rather than being distracting. Flying is one of the few moments where everything slows down so, when it comes to flights, enjoy music that matches that feeling rather than competing with it. ‘With or Without You’ by U2 is such a timeless track, and there’s a sense of anticipation that feels perfect at the beginning of a journey. Every time I hear it before a flight, it reminds me that travel is about discovering new places, meeting new people and learning something new about yourself.
Roop Partap Choudhary, hotelier

4. I use the uninterrupted time I have on a plan to listen to an album from start to finish and get to experience it how the artist intended. I enjoyed Sick Boi by Ren, which was all about his struggles with chronic illness and mental health. Lily Allen’s West End Girl was another one that benefitted from an all-in-one listen.
Kayleigh R

5. Like many people with a neurodivergent brain, I genuinely enjoy listening to the same music on repeat, so my deep house playlist comes on the moment I put my suitcase into the Uber boot. I keep it playing through the drive to the airport, check-in, security and boarding because it somehow turns all the waiting, queues and little travel frustrations into part of the ritual, while also helping me get into a focused and productive mindset for the flight ahead.
Karolina Pelc, author and investor

6. I like to search for music related to the destination I’m flying to. So, for example, if I’m going to Spain, I’ll try a playlist featuring all Spanish artists.
Gracie L

7. If I’m heading somewhere with family or friends, I like to build up the excitement and get into the frame of mind of my destination through my playlist. I recently flew to Miami with my family – my wife and two boys (who are five and nine years old) so it had to be ‘Miami’ by Will Smith. We hit play as we took off, but the headphones weren’t connected so we got a chuckle from those sitting around us!
Martin Hartley, tech entrepreneur

8. For take-off I listen to ‘Life in Technicolor II’ by Coldplay quite often. It’s got that sense of excitement, and the line “now my feet won't touch the ground” feels quite apt. I also like ‘Porcelain’ by Moby, which always gives me a ‘this is the start of something’ feeling. In terms of ultimate songs, few hit better than ‘Ray of Light’ by Madonna. I’ve been known to keep rewinding it slightly to time the moment it kicks in to when the plane leaves the ground. Ooh, and ‘The Cure’ by Olivia Rodrigo builds to this amazing crescendo!
Matt R

9. My go-to take-off song is ‘Englishman in New York’ by Sting. I’ve spent my whole life in England, and the moment I’m away my English habits get louder – I crave tea with milk, which gets funny looks in some countries. So when Sting sings “I’m an alien, I’m a legal alien”, that’s exactly how I feel. And while I’m in New York often, places like Japan, Egypt or Colombia feel even more wonderfully alien. The trip doesn’t officially start until it’s on.
Irra Ariella Khi, entrepreneur and CEO of Zamna Technologies

10. Putting on ‘Holiday’ by Madonna always signals the ‘I’m all set’ start of my holiday. Another moment of joy track is ‘Gold on the Ceiling’ by The Black Keys, who recently played at British Airways ARC.
Katie K

11. A glass of red wine and ‘Coles Corner’ by Richard Hawley is the most relaxing combination!
Helen W

12. I’d have to go with ‘Born to Run’ by Bruce Springsteen. It instantly makes me think of classic American road trips – windows down, great scenery and that feeling of adventure. I spend a lot of my time working on holidays to the USA, so it’s a song that’s become synonymous with the destination for me. It always gets me in the holiday mindset before I’ve even set off.
Harry Hastings, co-founder of Ocean Holidays Group

Got a great travel tip? We want to hear it! For a future issue, we’re asking: how do you save money while on holiday? Email theclub@cedarcom.co.uk to share your wisdom (the more unexpected the better).

Please note that while we aim to showcase as many submissions as possible, we may not be able to feature every tip we receive.